goes to show coolie genes are identified as a nation of hawkers.
true to their heritage.
a naton of coolies, peasants, prostitutes, whores, harlots, rickshaw pullers, opium addicts, boatmen, fishermen, nightsoil collectors, errand boys, street urchins.
to quote the wise words of an eminent observer and a former scholar, of sorts.
Most of the local population, however, did not benefit commensurately from the increase in foreign economic activity. Many
Singaporeans were employed as lowly paid rickshaw pullers


,
boatmen, fishermen or market gardeners. These
coolies lived in
shophouses, often in
crammed and squalid conditions. A domestic economy sprang up within the community, with
vendors and
artisans offering a panoply of services ranging from
street food to haircuts.
Opium dens and
prostitute houses proliferated.